Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has again identified the absence of justice, equity and fairness as the three pillars responsible for Nigeria’s tottering democracy.
The Bayelsa governor also stated that without the practice of fiscal federalism and the preponderance of the rule of law, democracy would continue to struggle in the country.
Delivering a goodwill message at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue at the International Conference Centre, Bauchi, on Tuesday, Senator Diri contended that having long taken the wrong turn in its democratic journey, Nigeria needed to correct some of its structural imbalances to make the country beneficial to its citizens.
Citing Bayelsa as case study, he said the injustice in resource exploitation, particularly crude oil, and the attendant lopsidedness in national revenue distribution had continued for decades.
He stated that oil-bearing areas in the state and the Niger Delta still lacked commensurate development more than 60 years after oil exploration began despite generating so much revenue for the country.
